


Betting We'll Lose

by Matrya



Series: The Disrepute of Nat and Jim [4]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: A Year in the Life: Fall, Gen, Post-Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life, Rory Gilmore/Jess Mariano (one sided), a year in the life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 10:22:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10009952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrya/pseuds/Matrya
Summary: Jess, Lorelai, and a bit of champagne. November 2016.





	

"I can't believe you eloped," Jess scoffs, passing her a flute of champagne as he sits on the bench where she has taken residence.

"I can't believe you told Luke that you're over Rory," Lorelai scoffed right back before sipping the champagne.

Jess shrugs and looks where Lorelai's eyes are trained. Luke and Rory are dancing, awkwardly. "I thought I was."

Within a moment, he can feel Lorelai's eyes on him, eagle sharp. "So you're not?"

After a minute, he shrugs again. "Sometimes."

"Flashback!" Lorelai announces, gesturing a little wildly, but not enough to spill her champagne. "Four years ago, just before Christmas, you're in love. Then just after Christmas, you're suddenly over her."

Jess nodded. "Rosa."

Lorelai made a face. "Mean Rosa, first of all. Okay, flash forward from the flashback. Two years ago: Rosa disappears, never to be seen again."

"She moved to Virginia. She was a federal employee, she moved to a different federal office," Jess pointed out, still watching as Rory started to dance with Kirk and Luke was scooped up by Patty.

"You could have made it work."

"We never saw each other. She was working and traveling, I was writing and touring."

"Also known as working and traveling, when you're a writer." She finally looked away from him. "I can't believe you brought me champagne. You know what happens when we drink together!"

He holds out a hand in a mock offer to take it back. "Well, it was supposed to be for Rory, but we decided that wasn't a great idea for the obvious reason."

Lorelai gasps as he drops his hand. "I can't believe she told you on my wedding day!"

"She is a Lorelai," he points out. Finally giving her a glance, he tacks on, " _Grandma_."

"You take that back!"

He glares to meet the one trained on him. "Take back that time you compared me to Betty _and_ Veronica."

"Take back the time you put the wrong year on my birthday card!"

"Take back that time you told Liz that I was rooming with that guy from Law & Order."

"That was hilarious!"

Jess shook his head. "She camped outside my apartment for two weeks before she finally Googled the guy from Law & Order and believed that he was dead."

"I said 'a guy from Law & Order'; I never mentioned Jerry Orbach!"

"He's _the guy_ from Law  & Order."

Lorelai starts giggling, a little madly. "Can we stop saying 'the guy from Law & Order'. I know he's seeing the world, not hearing it, but I still feel like he can hear it. And I'm not letting you distract me from your continued square peg issues."

Jess leans onto the bench, looking back out at the town. Rory is watching them and flashes a smile when she sees him looking back, so he waves. "I was drunk when I said that."

"We've been drunk together four times, and this has come up four times." Lorelai drains the last of her champagne, then gets up. "Are we making it five?"

He has a moment of hesitation before he follows suit, emptying his glass and standing. "Let's do this. They say fifth time is the charm, right?"

Looping her arm through his, Lorelai shakes her head. "No, not even sort of."

Even with that kind of finality, they only make it through one more glass of champagne before Lorelai's husband is pulling her away and Jess decides to turn in before his square peg gets him into trouble. There are other times, better times, and they both know it.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Memo:** I don't check comments or kudos, but feel free to yell at me on [tumblr](http://matrya.tumblr.com) or [check out](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrya) my other writing!


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